


Proximity

by leafykeen



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura doesnt seem to mind, Angst, But i do plan on multiple short chapters, Chapter 4 includes some, Could I have made that happen without a little angst?, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Hugging, Insecure Keith, It's not her fault, It's not really his either, Maybe - Freeform, Sweet Allura, They finally talk things out, also based on another headcanon i couldnt stop thinking about, another short one, but where's the fun in that?, kallura, now with 30 percent more lance!, overprotective keith, protective keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-09 07:03:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11099367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafykeen/pseuds/leafykeen
Summary: I love how Keith is always close to Allura in screenshots. Is he hovering? Is it coincidence? Is it subconscious, or intentional?





	1. Hovering

Hovering 

Keith doesn't trust this planet. He doesn't trust these creatures. _People_ , Shiro insists on them being called. They're not human, but they're still people. It's a hard thing to get used to when the only people you've ever known were, in fact, human. 

He especially doesn't trust that one. That one who keeps eyeing the Princess. Who keeps leaning towards the Princess. Who keeps himself in close proximity to the Princess. Keith positions himself even closer to her. He's hovering. He knows he's hovering. Still, he keeps himself able to reach her, able to defend her at all times. Not that she can't defend herself, but something in him is uneasy if anyone can reach her before he can. 

She turns toward him and smiles.

Hovering isn't so bad. 


	2. Hovering part 2

Keith was hovering. 

Allura could sense him behind her, slightly to the right. She didn't blame him. Even though she was comfortable in the company of their hosts, she understood that his hesitation was born of a lack of familiarity with the people and culture of this planet. Perhaps he was overreacting, but she didn't mind. His presence seemed to help her keep hands and voice steady in the face of the potential failure to secure an ally in their fight against Zarkon. It was a curious revelation, but now was not the time to question it. 

Allura glanced back, a little surprised to see Keith even closer than he had been before. She gave him a warm smile and he smiled back. If her stomach did a little flip, well, that was something for another day as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I realize I changed tenses from the first chapter. I may go back and fix it when it's not 3 am. 
> 
> Thanks for reading this teeny tiny little fic!


	3. Coincidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wracking my brain to figure out how to portray coincidence, but I think this is not too terrible. Thanks for reading :)

Coincidence 

"Why do you always stand so close to Allura?" 

Keith huffed. Lance couldn't leave him in peace for a moment, it seemed. 

"What are you talking about, Lance?" 

"I'm talking about how you're practically right on top of her whenever we leave the castle. Like you think she's going to disappear, or combust, or-" 

"It's coincidence." 

Lance threw his hands up. "Coincidence? I think not!" 

Of course it was coincidence. It wasn't like Keith crowded Allura intentionally. 

"What about that planet where Hunk got those almost-marshmallows?" 

Except that time. But that planet seemed especially threatening. "What exactly are Hunk's plans for those things?" 

Lance gave him an exasperated look. "Don't you change the subject." 

"Fine," Keith said, "things on that planet were a little shady, and I was worried about her." 

He knew immediately he would regret that confession. 

And regret it immediately he did. 

Lance's eyes lit up. "You were _worried_ about her? _Worried_ about our _warrior_ _princess_?" 

"So what if I was?" Keith turned to leave, cheeks burning. How in the universe was he ever going to live that down?


	4. Subconscious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little bit angsty, but I am very familiar with Keith's frame of mind here, and I'm glad to be able to portray a little insecurity and vulnerability in what I think is a realistic way.

Keith wandered the halls of the castle, wishing he could sleep. His thoughts turned to his teammates, then skipped right over them all until they found Allura. When he wasn't distracted by something else, he often found it was hard to keep his mind off her. 

They were getting along better lately. 

For that he was grateful. He and Allura had certainly never been close, by any means, but since their little talk, it seemed to Keith that their differences had been resolved enough that she could at least tolerate his presence. 

And she seemed to be tolerating it an awful lot. 

Keith could swear she was right there all the time. Anytime he turned around, she was behind him. Beside him. Just near enough to be noticible. Coincidence, of course. Subconscious, maybe. It was certainly not intentional. She could barely have looked at him a week ago. Why would she seek him out now? 

To be fair, he found himself near her more often than was necessary as well. He couldn't really explain it to himself, he just knew that he felt better when he was close to her. It must have been that it would be easier to protect her if they were close. Yes, he would stick with that if anyone noticed and asked. It certainly wasn't that he sought her out either. Why would he want to be close to her when half of him was abhorrent to her? He wouldn't force his presence on her. 

She had hugged him. 

That was the thought he returned to every time he began to worry that he wasn't really needed. Wasn't really _wanted_. 

She had asked him not to leave. 

Because the team needed him. Needed him as a _pilot_. Not that they needed him as _Keith_. 

He could respect that though. He understood. 

His exhaustion weighed him down, but he knew he still wouldn't sleep. He turned into the control room, and sat down with his back to the console. 

"Keith?"

He looked to his left and saw Allura sitting beside him, barely and inch between them. She gave him a gentle smile. "Hello," she said softly.

He smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been plaguing me for a week. It's thanks to whatever woke me up at 4 am that this finally got written.


	5. Suubconcious part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subconscious part 2
> 
> I'm posting this a day early for kallura positivity day tomorrow! I was hoping to get the Intentional chapter done, but I'm not sure now if that's going to happen. Everytime I try to write it, something else comes out entirely!

Subconscious 

Allura wasn't okay. 

She'd had nightmares before, but this... this was different. She was filled with a deep, aching loneliness, like nothing she'd ever felt before. Suddenly, she couldn't stand it anymore. She felt confined, closed in, and horribly, horribly alone. She threw aside her covers, and bolted from her room. 

In the dim light of the hall, things seemed better. She was a little more aware, and a little less afraid. She was still far from calm, however. Allura wandered the castle, shaking like a leaf, until she came to a door. 

_Of_ _course_. 

Allura knocked softly and waited. _Please_ _be_ _awake_ , she thought desperately. The door opened, and she was filled with immense relief. 

_Keith_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not at all sure how I feel about this chapter


	6. Intentional

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me in advance for all the ellipses.

It was late at night when Keith went looking for Allura. He'd seen her do something new when sparring with Shiro earlier, and thought it would be a good time to ask her to teach him, since she often had as much trouble sleeping as he did. They could both work off some energy and maybe relieve little stress. 

He found her in the kitchen. She held a delicate purple mug in her hand with Altean writing on the handle. Coran had told him before it was a short poem. It made him smile to see Hunk's crude attempt at hot chocolate in the mug. Allura had been very resistant to it at first, and still pretended she had no interest in earth cuisine, although she was open to other things. Keith would not have pegged her for a picky eater. 

Allura looked up as he approached her. He could tell that something was weighing her down. "Hey, um, I thought you could show me that... thing you did to Shiro earlier. It's not easy to take him down like that, and-" 

"I love you." 

Keith stopped short. "What do you mean, you love me?" 

Allura looked even more stressed, and her grip on the mug tightened. "You know," she said, "I care about you, and I worry about you, and I think about you when I don't mean to. I feel better when I can see you, and I look forward to spending time with you. I want you to hold me, and I care far too much what you think, and I.... love you," she trailed off, her eyes suddenly filled with uncertainty. 

Keith stared at her in shock. "Okay," he said, reaching for the mug. She released her death grip, and he set it on the counter behind him. Her anxiety was clear in the way she held herself. "What brought this on?" 

"Nothing 'brought it on,' per se. It's just.... you've caught me at a bad time. I was lost in thought and didn't mean to say anything out loud. I'm sorry." 

"What are you sorry for?" Keith's asked, voice soft and low. Reassuring, he hoped. 

"I didn't mean to do this today. I don't know if I meant to do it ever." Keith turned her chin to look at him and saw tears in her eyes. 

"Allura," he whispered, "I love you too." 

"You... you do?"

"Yes." 

Her tears began to fall. "Then why did you never say anything?" 

Keith smirked. "You're kidding, right?" The confusion in her eyes said she wasn't. The smirk softened into a small smile, and his caressed her cheek with his thumb. "You are a beautiful, scary smart, honestly terrifying space warrior princess. What about me could possibly impress you? I'm not even...." 

She waited a moment for him to continue. "Not even what?" 

Keith looked down, unwilling to meet her eyes. "Fully human. I'm the thing you despise. And I know what you told me. I know. And I know we can still be friends, but I never dreamed you could accept someone... someone like me." 

"Oh, Keith." Their eyes met again. "I _love_ you." He didn't think he could ever tire of hearing her say that. "My affection for you is not contingent upon your heritage. It's because you are you."

She spoke with such conviction, he couldn't help but believe her. _She_ _loves_ _me._

He placed his other hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead. Allura stilled for a moment, eyes closed. The she reached for him, and buried her face in his neck, clinging to him like he was all the might hold her together. Keith held her like she was something precious. 

_She_ _is_ _something_ _precious._

He didn't know how long they stayed that way. Eventually, he said her name, almost reverently. She hummed into his neck. 

"May I kiss you?" 

Allura pulled back, just enough to look at him, and nodded. 

He kissed her, gently, as if he was afraid he might break her. When they separated, Keith was surprised and a little concerned to see tears again. "Allura?" 

She gave him a dazzling smile. "Oh Keith. I'm so happy."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at kalluraheaven.tumblr.com :)


End file.
